A group of young people from Penola Catholic College, Glenroy, studied their way into the changing rooms of the Western Bulldogs yesterday.

The students, members of the Intensive English Class at the school, were given the chance to experience the inside world of AFL football as a reward for meeting all the deadlines set throughout the year.

28 students and teachers were given reserved seating tickets to yesterday’s match against Hawthorn.

Western Bulldogs CEO Campbell Rose was approached by the school several months ago to see if the club could provide assistance and he jumped at the chance to reward the students and show them that AFL was more than learning to kick a football.

“The LeasePlan Western Bulldogs are the community club of the AFL and this is just a small part of us giving back to the community. These young people will see that there is a lot more involved than simply running onto the field. The players must have discipline, focus, drive, and support to remain at the top level,” he said.

Paul Matton, Assistant Head of English at the college said the group were all part of a literacy strategy at the College. 

“Sadly, many students slip through the cracks at primary school and enter secondary school with literacy levels well below where the student, the student's family and the education system would like them to be.  These students struggle to decode, crack open the printed words on the page, as well as comprehend what they have read, “he said.

“These reading problems are exacerbated as the students progress towards Year 12 because the curriculum becomes increasingly complex.”

The Corrective Reading Program allows students to work in smaller classes, which enables them to receive more support from their teacher.  Also, because the students are working at a similar ability level, it means that all students achieve success. 

“It is typical of students with poor comprehension skills to disengage from their schooling, which is hardly surprising given that human nature dictates that we all try our hardest to avoid what we are not good at.  Often this disengagement leads to classroom behaviour issues and the downward spiral begins,” Mr Matton said.

The students are given small incentives during the year to encourage them to complete tasks with a big reward near the end of the year. This year’s major reward is a day at the football.

“The program has been a great success and students are excited about attending the football on Sunday.  They were all hoping to win the chance to enter the rooms!”